1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processes and devices for determining the rheological properties of fluids and, more particularly, to the estimation of differential rheological properties of heterogeneous fluids, particularly biological fluids such as saliva, ejaculates, cervical mucus and blood. Such fluids usually are composed of several liquid fractions of different chemical compositions, molecular weights and rheological properties.
2. The Prior Art
The determination of rheological properties of such heterogeneous fluids has been difficult because: (1) random structural variations from sample to sample complicate efforts to obtain reproducible values; (2) collection and testing of a sample can cause significant changes in its visco-elastic structure; (3) conditions in the test instrument are different from conditions in-vivo or in-situ; (4) particular measurements do not necessarily indicate particular visco-elastic structures; and (5) comparative standards of known visco-elastic structures generally are lacking. In particular, present on-the-spot testing techniques are inadequate.